


The Last Words

by Ramzes



Series: Days Invisible [3]
Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Angst, Don't copy to another site, Gen, delving into characters' minds
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-15
Updated: 2019-08-15
Packaged: 2020-09-01 09:03:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 758
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20255590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ramzes/pseuds/Ramzes
Summary: Rhaegar's elopement with Lyanna made it difficult for Elia all around - with people she disliked and distrusted, or even Rhaella whom she liked and trusted. After all, they are on different sides, no matter how hard they try to deny it.





	The Last Words

“I tried to convince him,” Rhaella suddenly said, breaking the silence for the first time in a while and Elia did not know how she felt. It had been a comfortable silence, albeit not friendly. Not anymore. “To send you and the children back to Dorne.”

The words were slow to make their way into Elia’s mind. It was rare for her to be so unguarded in front of anyone, so unguarded that she would not need to focus on their words and try to glean out how and why they were trying to take her in. And when she did realize what her goodmother was telling her, her gratitude was as sad as it was true.

“You were never going to succeed,” she said. “Thank you for trying. But the King and Rhaegar need Dorne on their side. And I did fail to give Rhaegar his three heads of the dragon.”

Rhaella startled and sucked her breath in. “He doesn’t talk to me,” she said. “What… do you know something?”

Elia laughed scornfully. “I wish he didn’t talk to me either,” she said. “But he seems to be trying to make me _understand_. If he could have both of us, he would have – her in his bed, me in his great hall and private chambers. But it’s impossible, so one of us has to go and it’s going to be me.”

Rhaella shook her head, refusing to see the unseemly truth. “He… he isn’t…”

“Oh, he isn’t going to disinherit Aegon for now,” Elia assured her. “For now, his plans are to keep the children and get rid of me. But for how long do you think this is going to last? How long, before another omen he interprets in a way that suits him at the moment appears? Do you think he’s going to allow my son to be king and his real Prince Who Was Promised just the second in line? Do you think she’s going to let this stand? Do you know why she ran away with Rhaegar? Because Robert Baratheon had fathered a child on some girl before they were even betrothed, that’s how much she can’t bear the thought of not being the only one. Rhaegar told me this as if he expected that I’d be awed.”

“Impossible,” the Queen whispered. “He can’t be this stupid. Even if he intends to keep the girl, there are other ways…”

“Not to him,” Elia said. “In his mind, she must receive all due honours. The fact that his children are going to lose their mother means nothing to him. He tries to soothe me by reminding me that they’re young and after a while, won’t even remember who I am, so they won’t be suffering.”

Rhaella’s eyes went dark and hopeless. “I’ll never forgive him this,” she breathed. “Never.”

But Elia knew better. Moved all of a sudden, she took the Queen’s hands in her own. “We didn’t have the chance to get to know each other all this well,” she said. “But you were always kind to me and my children. I thank you for this. I will remember you by it – and I will hold taking your friendship from me as a mark against your son as well, although a mark much smaller than his other offenses.”

“He won’t take my friendship from you,” Rhaella said and she meant it. “Ever. I’ll never accept an irresponsible, selfish fool as a queen of the Seven Kingdoms.”

Elia smiled sadly. “I know you mean it,” she said. “But it’s going to happen. I won’t be here. She will. And once you see that he’s serious about her, you will get reconciled. He is your son. You can’t help it.”

Rhaella shook her head. Duty was foremost to her and Rhaegar was as abhorrent to her for abandoning his duty as the girl who wanted to be first, no matter who she trod upon. But even in her determination, she felt tiny doubt worming itself through her mind. Rhaegar’s elopement was starting to shake the very foundation of her beliefs, her core, her self. “It’s a very bad thing,” she said quietly.

Elia disagreed. “No,” she said. “It isn’t bad. It’s just inevitable. To me, that’s very unlucky; to him, it’s a great gift.”

After this, there was no more to be said. The two of them sat silent as night wrapped itself around the red castle, hiding the last hurried preparation for the last campaign Rhaegar would lead against the upcoming rebels.

* * *

**The End**


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